Chapter 44 The Aftermath #4; Viney:
(A/N: Sadly, Edric and Emira will not be joining the Hex Squad in the Human Realm because I already have something planned for them)
It was a quiet night in the Isles as Viney sat in a chair beside Kai's bed. Blaze was there to keep her company as the phoenix palisman was perched on the bed beside Kai. Three weeks have already passed since Kai got shot with a lighting bolt that Kikimora shot at him and he hasn't woken up. Blaze chirped sadly as he nuzzled his head against Kai's cheek. Viney gave Blaze a gentle smile.
"Don't worry. He's going to be fine," she said.
She looked at her boyfriend and reached over to gently run her fingers through his hair. Viney was slightly surprised by how soft Kai's hair was but chose not to focus on it as she looked over him. Viney never liked seeing those close to her risking their lives, especially when it's her boyfriend. Kai's breath hitched slightly as his brow furrowed. Viney noticed and held his hand, squeezing it. That seemed to calm Kai down as his breathing went back to normal and his face relaxed. Viney sighed as she looked over her boyfriend.
"Hey…I don't know if you can hear me,Kai. I mean the doctor said it's possible but he wasn't sure," she said.
Viney huffed as she leaned onto her other hand. She smiled as she remembered something.
"Remember when we went on our first date? That was honestly the best night of my life," she said.
Flashback:
The sun was setting in Bonesborough as Viney was sitting on her porch waiting for Kai to come pick her up. It was their first date from when they first started dating and to say she was nervous is an understatement. Don't get her wrong, she's curious to see what Kai had planned seeing how excited her boyfriend was on the phone, it's just…this was her first date with someone and she hoped it went well. Viney sighed as she looked at the camera on her phone. She was wearing a white blouse, a pair of blue pants and sandals. The sound of a phoenix screeching caught Viney's attention and she looked up as Kai and Blaze landed in front of her. Kai was wearing a red button down shirt, his signature orange scarf, maroon pants held up by a brown belt and black dress shoes. His hair was combed back with a bit of his hair sticking up in the back. The hybrid witch climbed off his staff and turned to Viney with a smile.
"Hey, V!" he said.
Viney smiled as she stood up and walked towards her boyfriend.
"You look good," she said, adjusting his collar.
Kai smiled.
"You too. Ready to go?" he asked.
Viney nodded.
"I will be…if you tell me where we're going," she said.
Kai chuckled before putting a finger to his mouth.
"Sorry, V, but it's a surprise," he said, winking at her.
Viney blushed slightly but still managed to frown at his refusal to tell her where they were going. Kai laughed.
"Come on, trust me on this. It'll be worth it once you see it," he said.
Viney sighed.
"Fine," she said.
"Also you have to close your eyes until we get there," Kai said.
Viney raised an eyebrow at himbefore nodding and closing her eyes. Kai grabbed her hand and led Viney to Blaze. Carefully, the two teens climbed onto the staff, Viney wrapping her arms around him.
"You got a good grip?" Kai asked.
Viney nodded.
"Blaze, yip, yip!" Kai said.
Blaze's eyes flashed red and he took off. Wind blew in Viney's hair and ears as she kept a tight grip around her boyfriend's torso. She adjusted her grip so her arms were wrapped around his abdomen, feeling the toned muscles there. Viney blushed slightly as she rested her forehead against Kai's back.
"You okay back there?" Kai asked over the wind.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Viney mumbled.
"Okay, cool. We're almost there, don't worry," he said.
Viney nodded. After a long flight, the couple arrived at the spot where Kai planned to have their date. Kai climbed off his staff before helping Viney down.
"Make sure your eyes stay closed," he said as he led Viney to the spot.
Viney nodded as she used one hand to cover her eyes while she held Kai's with the other.
"Are we close?" she asked.
Kai led her through the woods, pushing some leaves and branches out of the way.
"Almost…and…We're here!" he said.
Viney uncovered her eyes and they widened at the sight in front of her. It was a sandy area with a clear view of the sea and the sunset. On the sand was a blanket with some lanterns hanging from some trees. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Ta-da!" Kai exlaimed with jazz hands.
Viney turned to him.
"Kai…how did you…?" she asked.
Kai rubbed his neck.
"Aunt Eda mentioned some spots for a perfect date and suggested this. I also got some help from Luz and the others to set it up," he said, blushing slightly.
He looked away from her.
"I owe Luz half of my allowance," he mumbled.
Viney giggled at that comment before leaning over to kiss Kai on his cheek.
"Well, you did a good job. I love it," she said.
Kai gave her a smile and they went to sit on the blanket. The two teens looked at the sunset, Kai laying on the ground and Viney sitting cross legged.
"It's beautiful," Viney said softly.
Kai leaned on his elbows and looked at Viney with a smile.
"Yeah, it is," he said.
Realizing what he was talking about, Viney blushed and shoved him in the shoulder, making Kai laugh.
"Smooth," she mumbled.
Kai gave her a grin before wrapping his arms around Viney's waist, pressing kisses to her cheek. Viney laughed as she squirmed in his grip.
"Kai! Cut it out!" she exclaimed, giggling.
Kai snickered before pressing one more kiss on her cheek and leaning back against a tree trunk so Viney was sitting on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his nose to her hair, gently nuzzling her. Viney giggled as she snuggled into him, her head resting on his chest. The couple sat there in comfortable silence. Kai had his chin rested on Viney's head, sighing softly. Viney was playing with the strands of Kai's scarf.
"Hey, Kai?" Viney asked.
"Hmm?" her boyfriend mumbled.
She looked up at him.
"If you don't mind me asking. How come you always wear your scarf?" Viney asked.
Kai looked surprised at the question before his facial expression changed slightly.
"I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to! I'm just curious," Viney said, hoping she didn't cross a line.
Kai gave her a small reassuring squeeze as he shook his head.
"It's okay, don't worry. I was sure you were going to ask that question one of these days," he said.
Viney nodded. Kai took a breath before answering.
"My mom knitted it for me on my 4th birthday. Just 6 days before she died. And after that, I kept wearing it because it's the only thing I have of her," he said, soflty.
Viney squeezed the hands around her waist to provide comfort to her boyfriend.
"I'm sorry about that," she mumbled.
Kai shrugged as he rested his head on her shoulder.
"You know, you never talk about your mom. What was she like?" Viney asked.
Kai chuckled.
"Mom…was possibly the kindest person you'd ever meet. She was always helping others whenever they needed it and was willing to give back to the community by volunteering. Even when she was raising me alone, she always made sure that I had a good childhood. She was a great cook too. I remember whenever Luz and her parents would come over, she would make all sorts of food and I would always ask for seconds, even when I already had three plates," Kai said.
Viney smiled slightly when she heard the happiness in Kai's voice as he talked about his mom.
"I was really young back then but I always remembered that the two of us had a relationship unlike any other son and mother. We were best friends. No matter how much work she had, Mom always made sure to spend time with me. She also had the most beautiful singing voice. It was soft and kind of like an angel. She would always sing a lullaby to Luz and I before putting us to sleep. Her voice alone could make you feel at peace…make you feel at home," Kai whispered.
Viney felt tears hit her shoulder and turned her head to look at her boyfriend. Kai was looking at the sunset as his eyes were welling up with tears.
"A-and I would do anything to see her again…or just to hear her voice," he said, voice breaking.
He looked at Viney and quickly wiped his eyes.
"Heh. Sorry, this was supposed to be our first date and I'm just sitting here being a crybaby," Kai said, leaning back onto the tree and wiping his eyes.
Viney turned in his lap and gently grabbed his face. Kai looked at her as tears were still in his eyes.
"You don't have to apologize for that. You never have to apologize for missing your mom, okay?" Viney asked.
Kai looked at her and nodded. Viney used her thumb to wipe the tear in the corner of his eye.
"I don't know anything about your mom but I'm sure she misses you just as much as you miss her. And she's definitely proud at how much her son has grown," she said, smiling at her.
Kai blinked before laughing softly and pulling Viney into a hug. Viney hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder.
"What did I do to deserve you?" Kai asked.
Viney hummed as she buried her face into his neck.
"I don't know," she joked.
Kai chuckled. The two teens laid there in the other's embrace as the sun setted.
End of Flashback:
Viney smiled sadly as she looked at her boyfriend.
"You're up late," a voice said.
Viney turned to see Kendrick leaning against the door frame. The older man gave her a smile as he walked over to join her. He looked at his unconscious son and sighed sadly.
"Still no luck?" he asked.
Viney shook her head.
"It's already been three weeks," she mumbled.
Kendrick sighed before looking at her.
"You're Viney, right? Kai's girlfriend?" he asked.
Viney looked at him and nodded.
"Um, yeah," she said, slightly nervous.
Kendrick smiled.
"I'm Kendrick. Kai's father. It's nice to finally meet the girl who stole my son's heart," he said.
Viney blushed slightly.
"R-right. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Clawthorne," she said.
Kendrick gave her a smile.
"You don't have to be so formal, ya know? Kendrick is fine," he said.
Viney smiled and nodded.
"So, I take it Kai has mentioned me before?" she asked.
Kendrick chuckled.
"Are you kidding? Kai couldn't stop talking about you," he said.
Viney felt her face turn deep red.
"R-really?" she asked.
Kendrick chuckled.
"Yep! And he looked really happy as he did. Which is great after hearing what he had to go through when I wasn't here all those years," he said.
He winked at Viney.
"He really cares about you," he said.
Viney nodded.
"And I care about him too. I just wish he'd stop putting himself in danger to protect everyone," she said, clenching her fists.
Kendrick sighed as he leaned back in his chair.
"Love can make you stupid things," he said.
Viney looked at him with bright pink cheeks.
"Love?!" she asked.
Kendrick looked at her.
"Well, yeah. If I know one thing about being in a relationship with someone, whether platonic or romantic, you do everything you can to protect the people close to you. Home is where the heart is and being around those you love, makes you feel happy, makes you feel at home," he said.
Kendrick pulled a picture out of his pocket. Viney leaned over to look at it. It was a picture of Kendrick, Kai's mom and a newborn Kai. The older man smiled.
"Like with Jennifer and Kai. I love them both and I feel at home when I'm with them," he said.
He turned to Viney with a smile.
"And I'm sure Kai feels the same way when he's with you," Kendrick said.
Viney blinked in surprise and looked at Kai. Kendrick patted his knees and stood up.
"Well, I'm going to head to bed. You should do the same or else Eda's gonna drag you to bed," he said.
Viney turned to him.
"She wouldn't, would she?" she asked.
Kendrick laughed.
"Oh, trust me. She will. It happened to me a few times when I was younger. Anyways, good night Viney," he said, walking out.
"Night," she said.
Viney turned back to her boyfriend and sighed. She ran her fingers through his hair as she thought about what Kendrick said.
'Home is where the heart is,' Viney said in her head.
She looked at Kai's face. She knew she loved Kai, even before they started dating, she loved him. Of course they never said it to each other because they weren't as good as expressing their feelings like Luz and Amity but they both knew the other loved them And…she did feel at home when she's with Kai. Everytime Viney was around him, Kai always made her feel safe, made her smile and laugh. Viney sighed.
"Hey, I don't know if you can hear me and you know I'm not good with this, but…I just wanted to say…I love you, Kai. Like a lot and I hope you get better," she said.
She leaned over to kiss Kai's forehead before moving back and laying her head down beside him. She hoped Kai heard her.